Taking Back Sunday, “152.”

Rather then let song ideas die while writing its new album, 152, Taking Back Sunday doubled down and didn’t stop until a song was done. The emphasis on workshopping ideas stoked the band’s creative fire, forcing singer Adam Lazzara, guitarist-pianist John Nolan, bassist Shaun Cooper and drummer Mark O’Connell to  work harder than ever. The soaring album is a winner, building on the band’s post-hardcore and alt-rock sound.

“The problem isn’t that I changed/ The problem is that you stayed the same,” Lazzara screams on “Keep Going,” It’s a rallying cry of sorts for a band going on its second decade.

This album sounds very different than prior Taking Back Sunday releases. The band worked with producer Tushar Apte. His credits don’t scream emo: BTS, Blackpink, Demi Lovato, Nicki Minaj, PJ Morton… Yet the producer, working with engineer Neal Avron, take the band’s sound to a new level. The tracks are lush and slickly constructed without losing the feel of a rock record.

More often than not, Taking Back Sunday veers less into emo and pop-punk and more toward good old-fashioned rock and roll. The optimistic “Amphetamine Smiles” starts as a heartfelt acoustic ballad with just Lazzara and a guitar before the rest of the band kicks in midway through.

“Love you like a brother/ Love you like no other/ I’mma love you ’cause no other can,” he sings.

“S’old” is a driving punky track that delivers energy through the upbeat rhythms and Lazzara’s passionate vocals rather than just heavy riffs. It’s polished but also has the energy of musicians jamming together. That collective spirit is reflected in the album’s title, which references a stretch of North Carolina road where the band and friends would meet before going to see concerts as teens.

“Go big or go home,” Lazzara declares on the massively anthemic “The One,” which builds into a dramatic crescendo of group-sung vocals.

The hard-driving “Keep Going” keeps the energy up with a wordy vocals. The straightforward rocker brings a lot to the table without getting complicated. That’s because of the masterful production that brings everything together. The first major change of pace comes on “I Am the Only One Who Knows You,” which sounds like My Chemical Romance’s “The Ghost Of You,” and fuses it with an alt-pop vibe. Lazarra’s earnest singing brings everything together.

Lazarra brings a snarl to moody mid-tempo rocker “Quit Trying,” which blends a dark emo sound with a tight groove. “Lightbringer” is fascinating because you could imagine it would sound entirely different if the band made it in 2005. The song has a pop-punk personality, but the arrangement brings it to an entirely different, spacious and atmospheric place. That similar aesthetic defines the upbeat earnest sound of “New Music Friday.”

Dynamics play an important role throughout the album, especially on songs like “Juice 2 Me” that travel a wide spectrum. From quiet piano-driven melodic sounds to soaring a soaring heavy chorus, “Juice 2 Me” covers a lot of ground.

The record closes with no-frills emo rocker “The Stranger,” which offers a familiar sound to longtime fans of the band. Seven years after the band’s last record, 152 is the sound of a band with gas left in the tank.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.